Pre-Pregnancy Health

Pregnancy is a major event. If you plan for it, your choices can be beneficial to both your health and that of your baby. 

It is very important to consider the role diet, exercise and lifestyle play in your everyday life when you are preparing to get pregnant.  Making positive changes to your lifestyle before pregnancy will benefit you during the pregnancy as well as contribute to the overall health of your child.

Diet

A balanced diet is basic for good health, as what you eat supports the growth of your fetus. To eat wisely, eat a balanced meal as per MyPlate (new food pyramid system).

Folic Acid

Women attempting to conceive should take daily folic acid supplementation for at least one to three months prior to conception.  Folic acid can help reduce the risk of neural tube defects and can be found over the counter in your local pharmacy. The dose recommended may vary depending on specific conditions or medical history in a given patient, but the minimum requirement is 400mcg (0.4mg) daily, and many physicians recommend taking 0.8-1mg per day for the average person. This is the amount found in most over the counter prenatal vitamins.

Keeping Fit

Good health also depends on staying fit. Following an exercise routine before conception can help improve your chances of a comfortable and active pregnancy. The exercise that you can do during pregnancy depends on the exercises you did prior to becoming pregnant. You may continue with your pre-pregnancy routine unless your physician tells you otherwise.

Weight loss should be done before pregnancy and after delivery.

You should not try to lose weight during pregnancy.

Environment

Tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs can cause harm to you and your unborn baby. No amount of these substances has been proven safe to use during pregnancy. Now is the time to quit the use of these substances. If you need help quitting, please speak to your doctor.

Making some lifestyle changes now such as eating wisely, staying fit, avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs, and regular visits to your doctor can help ensure you have done your part to prepare for a normal pregnancy and healthy delivery. 

Travel

Travel Precautions

 Considering Pregnancy?

The CDC recommends precautions for women and their partners who are thinking about pregnancy.

• Consider avoiding nonessential travel to areas with Zika if you are thinking about having a baby in the near future.
• If you must travel, take steps to plan for travel.
• If your partner travels to an area with Zika, protect yourself from getting Zika during sex.

What to do if you travel to an area with Zika

If you are not pregnant, but you are thinking about having a baby, here’s what you can do:

• Take steps to prevent mosquito bites.
• Take steps to prevent getting Zika through sex

Talk with your doctor

Women and their partners who are thinking about pregnancy should talk with your doctor about:

• Your plans for having children(https://www.cdc.gov/preconception/planning.html)
• The potential risk of getting Zika during pregnancy
• Your partner’s potential exposures to Zika

Decisions about pregnancy planning are personal and complex.  The circumstances for each woman and her partner will vary.  However,  possible Zika exposure via recent travel or sex without a condom with a partner infected or potentially infected with Zika should strongly consider the following timeline to wait to get pregnant:

 Women

• Wait at least 8 weeks after symptoms start OR from last possible exposure.

Men

• Wait at least 6 months after symptoms start OR from last possible exposure.